( J ,
8 The Conservative *
stirred up about the war. The voice of
the press has been that of a false prophet.
Something has beeu said of "raveniug
wolves. " American macrocephalics
may think themselves some modern Ca
nute to say to the Cubans , Filipinos , and
other nations , "thus far shalt thou go
and no farther. " "Britannia rules the
waves. " Neptune bows his hoary head
in salutation to the "monarch of the
sea. " Britannia embraces Columbia.
Mother and daughter lock arms. It is
to bo hoped that they will not lock
horns. Columbia is playing Britannia's
game on the chess board of national pol
itics. In the long run whoever plays
another's game pays the dealer. In a
recent speech ex-Governor Boutwell of
Massachusetts expressed similar opin
ions , saying :
"We are indebted to the protecting
power of England for our success in the
war with Spain. "
"Whatever benefits we may derive in
the east England will share with us. "
But will that be enough ? Mothers
are often exorbitantly demanding of
children when they have been exces
sively indulgent. Britannia may de
mand that Columbia shall unite in an
offensive and defensive alliance against
continental nations on Eastern ques
tions. Will Columbia be ungrateful
and say no ? Children often are ! If not
she will learn the value of "minding
your own business" in national eco
nomics. Self-development is akin to
self-preservation. They are fundament
als. Columbia is but a child yet. She
has not cut her wisdom teeth. She
knoweth not herself. Few nations do.
But few individuals have graduated
from the school at Delphi. Britannia
has touched the hem of the garments of
self-knowledge. Self-preservation based
on that self-knowledge which leadeth to
intelligent self-control is the acme of de
velopment of individual or state. It is
the culmination of human possibility.
He who walketh through the straight
gate of the Stoa and arriveth at the
oracle of Delphi shall find that pearl of
wisdom which lieth enclosed in the folds
of the napkin of ignorance.
"GortV Work. "
We come now to a rather delicate
question of no little importance as a
factor in the late war and still of great
influence. Some Americans have gone
so far as to assort that "the United
States is doing God's work. " How do
they know ? Job asks , "can ye by
searching find out God ? ' ' Again we are
told "by his works shall ye know God. "
Which works ? Those who pretend to
especially know tell us "God helps
those who help themselves. " Darwin
and Spencer have told us that the sur
vival of the fittest and perishing of the
unfit were among the most manifest
works of Nature. Certainly the truth is
the paramount work of God. Human
itarians deny that might is right , but if
. . * -
God helps only those who help them
selves they must be mistaken , "tielf-
preservation is the first law of life. "
The law is a dead letter for those not
having the might to execute it. Out of
nothing , nothing can come , said Deino-
critus. Humanity has been vainly try
ing to prove him in error by asserting
that individuals had a right to life , to
happiness and to government protection ,
who could not maintain themselves ,
hence could not be happy , and were a
burden instead of supporting members
of the government's constituency.
Hnmauitariauism is largely an emotion
al attempt to offset or undo the will of
God and the laws of Nature. While ap
parently conservative it is anarchistic in
tendency. To such as assert that it is
doing God's work" to stand by and up
hold the weak it may be asked why is
might only right and weakness always
wrong ? Why the fittest alone survive
in the march of the ages ? Why the
funeral pyre of the martyr is the ori-
flamme of truth to future and an "ignis
fatuus" to contemporary generations ?
Why do these people say in one breath
that "it is the duty of the strong to
protect the weak , " and in the next that
"God helps those who help themselves ? "
Nothing can put self-maintaining power
into the perishing any more than some
thing can be made from nothing. It is
this insane altruistic prestidigitation
which has been and is the curse of civili
zation. If altruism is doing God's work
the best way to do it would be to hasten
the march of the miserable and suffer
ing on the voyage of life. Animals
seem to be the preferred works in the
modern state. If survival of the fittest
is the law by which God works , is it not
doing that work to strengthen and
multiply the fit rather than the unfit ?
The only standard of civilization is the
number of self-maintaining individuals
it produces. Civilization is the means
man has taken to preserve himself.
Monuments to martyrs are stones erected
over its own grave by penitential
ignorance. Humauitarianism and al
truism are toll-gates on the road to pro
gress. They check the march of civiliza
tion. If the government of the United
States has been selected by God to do
His work , and that work is to uphold
the weak and support the perishing , can
it be explained why that government
attacked Spain and gave her another
kick down the road to national disin
tegration ? Is it not possible that the
solons of the United States made a mis
take as self-constituted agents of the
Omnipotent , and kicked the wrong
party ? For years the weakness of Spain
has been manifest in her impoteucy in
suppressing rebellion in Cuba. The
Filipinos not only hold their own but
gained ground. Spain's power in both
places has been more nominal than real
for a long time. It cannot be said that
Spain was the stronger party in either
locality. If either was surviving it was
the Cuban and Filipino. The Anglo-
Saxon will only hasten their destruction.
Spain started on the downward path of
non-survival centuries since. It seems ,
then , that in its apotheosis of itself the
government of the United States was
in error. Instead of doing God's work
it bullied sinking Spain still further into
the slough of despond. Is that humanitarianism -
itarianism ? If causing the youth of the
country to be killed and die of un
necessary disease ; if forcing mothers
and sisters to weep for their loved dead ;
if increasing the already burdensome
taxation to a strangling limit , in the
nominal interest of aliens is humanitarianism -
itarianism and God's work , then God
and Nature are in rebellion. Self-sacri
fice and not self-preservation is the law.
Justice has no place at home. The re
sults of this study make evident the
position previously taken , that the only
popular cause of the war was the national
hatred of monarchism which was taken
advantage of by politicians and other
malefactors , and Spain was driven out
of American waters to satisfy a semi-
savage American tradition.
Governor BoutAvell's Views.
If justice exists among men it must
be admitted that according to national
law , international law , the American
constitution , or her treaty agreements
with the United States , Spain had given
no cause for declaration of war on the
part of the United States. That quite
the contrary was the case in regard to
the United States is universally known.
Had the same actions on the part of the
United States occurred in relation to
colonies of Great Britain , France or
Germany , war would certainly have
been declared had not sufficient amends
been made. In the previously noted
speech of ex-Governor Boutwell he
says , in this connection :
"The laxity that was exhibited by the
administration of President Cleveland
and by President McKinley , while the
insurgents in Cuba were carrying on the
war against Spain , would not be toler
ated by Great Britain. Spanish-born
subjects , but naturalized citizens of the
United States , who had been engaged
in the rebellion , were the cause of vigor
ous diplomatic debate , and Spain was
forced to consent to the release of men
who had been taken with arms in their
hands while making war on her auth
ority.
' 'All this was in marked contrast to
the course of the government in the
presidency of John Tyler and when Mr.
Webster was secretary of state. In the
year 1841 there were revolutionary pro
ceedings on the other side of the Cana
dian line in which American citizens
were taking part. In the month of
September Mr. Webster prepared a pro
clamation in which this language may
be found. 'Whereas , it has come to the
knowledge of the government of the
United States that sundry secret lodges